If most of those that have stuck to conventional farming methods are to be honest, they will tell you that, for some time now, things have not been going so well. Column by Chipo Masara
Some farmers I talked to recently were on the brink of giving up farming altogether, dismissing it as a trade that’s no longer viable.
It would seem only tobacco farmers can claim to have been fully rewarded for their efforts, but that is mainly because tobacco is one crop which can thrive even under the most unfavourable of conditions.
This is unlike crops such as maize, which will only thrive when all the necessary components are favourable. But because the conditions necessary for most crops to grow, such as sufficient rainfall and fertile soils, are no longer in place, that makes production of some crops futile.
In spite of much effort by farmers, the government and other stakeholders to revive the agricultural sector, there has been a continuous trend of reaping very low yields.
The downward trend farming in Zimbabwe has taken has left many households facing acute hunger. Many people now depend on the government and donors for food aid and in the instances when the help does not come forth, many starve.
But agriculture, which once thrived in Zimbabwe and ensured every household’s food security status, remains the primary answer to the starvation.
That’s why it is about time farmers adapted new tried and tested farming methods that are guaranteed to bring favourable results.
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The answer is in conservation farming!
Conservation farming is any system of farming that helps in soil and water conservation by reducing erosion, runoff and overall improving conditions for plant growth.
New methods of farming will increase yields
Conservation farming includes a number of components and practices such as zero tillage, contour and stubble farming, alley cropping, crop rotation and trap cropping, among many others.
Zero tillage (no tillage) involves planting crops directly into land which is protected by a mulch using minimum or no tillage techniques. The mulch, which many ignorant farmers still go to pains to clear off, has been proven to offer many an advantage, among them preventing the rate of soil erosion and water runoff, and improving the soil’s fertility. Contour farming and strip cropping involves planting across the slope, following the contours of the land, breaking the field into alternating bands of row crops or small grains.
Farming in the contours has been observed to create small ridges that help slow runoff water. Stubble mulching is the type of farming that involves placing the stubble or crop residue on the land as surface cover during a fallow period. Stubble mulching helps prevent erosion from wind and water and helps conserve the soil’s moisture. Alley cropping is one type of farming I would personally vouch for as I saw first-hand during a media tour hosted by the Forestry Commission late last year how it is doing wonders for one farmer in the Chivhu district, which is often characterised by very little rainfall and very high temperatures.
The method involves planting rows of trees at wide spacing with a companion crop grown in the alleyway, between the rows of trees. It is a good method used to enhance and diversify farm products, reduce surface water runoff and erosion, improve nutrient utilisation, reduce wind erosion as well as improving wildlife habitat.
Crop rotation is a practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. A good rotation plan has been seen to largely reduce pests and diseases on crops.
Because planting the same type of crop at the same piece of land on a continual basis has been proven to serve only to tire the soils and render them less productive, crop rotation is ideal.
Integrated pest management (IPM) involves the gathering of comprehensive information on pest traits, the information of which is used to manage pest damage in a manner friendly to people and to the environment.
And lastly is trap cropping, which involves planting a trap crop which attracts agricultural pests away from nearby crops. Trap crops can be planted around the circumference of the field.
I believe in order for agriculture to once again play a pivotal role in the country’s economy and to ensure food security for every household, every farmer needs to let go of conventional farming methods and take on conservation farming. For feedback, email [email protected]
